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Fire Corps coming to Dalhart

Posted by: tdt -

By Robin Scott

On January 26th at 6:00 p.m. the Dalhart Fire Department will conduct an organizational meeting for the Fire Corps. Fire Corps is a nationwide fire department auxiliary program that supports and supplements resource-constrained fire departments through citizen advocates. Citizen advocates provide non-operational activities and duties that support firefighters during the course of their business.

Area residents interested in becoming a member of the Fire Corps must be 16 years of age or older and live within Dallam or Hartley Counties. Support services provided by Fire Corps include promoting fire safety and prevention in schools and homes, developing websites and computer programs for the fire department, providing back up support during major events when emergency responders may be overwhelmed, assisting with incident reporting and entering statistical data, assisting with public relations and fundraising activities, providing firefighters with food and beverages during prolonged dispatches to fires or other fire department activities and training.

Additionally, Fire Corps may assist with youth mentoring programs, checking and installing smoke detectors for area residents, providing administrative and clerical duties, assisting with community programs such as roadside cleanup, food drives and toy collection for families in need, providing foreign language translation, and developing informational newsletters. Any non-operational activity that assists the fire department may be undertaken.

Fire Corps is a volunteer group of individuals that receives grant funding. The funding is used to support the operational activities of the fire department. Grant funding also means that city government is not the source for the cost to run and maintain the program.

Often, firefighters are called out to a scene that requires hours of duty. During those times they become hot, tired, hungry and dehydrated. Fire Corps provides the firefighters with rehabilitation services including food and beverages, a place to rest and cool off and other assistance as needed. During last year’s blizzard, firefighters worked hour upon hour rescuing stranded motorists from snow-bound vehicles. The Recreational Outreach Center (ROC) of First Baptist Church provided the firefighters with a place not to only bring the motorists, but a place to take a moment to rest and eat. The recruitment of area residents to join the Fire Corps will create a perpetual organization that provides the same or similar services.

Interested persons are requested to pick up application from the Dalhart Fire Department located at 110 Denrock Avenue. For more information, contact Firefighter David Ballew 244-5454 or send email to Dalhart.firecorps@hotmail.com. Please visit www.dalhartfire.com.